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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/28512873">Flowers Bloom Along the Way</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/shewhospeakswiththunder/pseuds/shewhospeakswiththunder'>shewhospeakswiththunder</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Naruto</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Amputation, Angst First Fluff Later, Blood and Gore, Canon-Typical Violence, Developing Relationship, Exhaustion, F/M, First Dates, Fluff and Angst, Happy Ending, Hinata blushes a lot, Hinata is patient forgiving and kind, Holding Hands, Ichiraku Ramen (Naruto), Kissing, Missing Scene, NaruHina - Freeform, Naruto cries a lot, Naruto doesn't know, Naruto has all the social tact of an emotionally repressed tadpole, Naruto is still missing his arm, Near Death Experiences, Rough Kissing, Self-Doubt, Sharing a Bed, Shinobi, Uzumaki Naruto Needs a Hug, Yikes, also canon, and a good night's rest, and has the Will of Fire!, and i love her, but only bc Naruto has no clue what he's doing, he means well, how does one do the romance?, just realized they are basically children soldiers, maybe... grab 'em and kiss 'em, mentions of death/burial, mentions of war/battle, that'll do the trick, that's canon</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-01-02</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-01-16</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-10 19:27:20</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>5,058</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/28512873</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/shewhospeakswiththunder/pseuds/shewhospeakswiththunder</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>In the aftermath of Naruto’s battle against Pain/Nagato, Naruto looks for Hinata.</p><p>Because she said she loved him, and almost died for it.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Hyuuga Hinata/Uzumaki Naruto</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>16</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>116</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. After Pain</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>This is a short series of NaruHina-centric scenes that chronicle the development of their relationship within canon. For the most part. Inconsistencies don't bother me as much as they used to! :D</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    
<p></p><div class="center">
  <p><br/>

  </p>
</div><p> </p>
<p>
  <span>All shinobi knew what death’s chill felt like after the life-warmth had left a body. No survivor of battle escaped the destiny of the living—to bury the dead.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Naruto had seen battle, and he knew what it felt like, too.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He was strong. He’d trusted in himself when no one else would, </span>
  <em>
    <span>because</span>
  </em>
  <span> no one else would. But now, as he stepped between the rows of emergency tents that now dotted the ragged crater in the earth that used to be Konohagakure, he’d come to realize what it would take to break him.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Even the thought of that chill creeping into Hyūga Hinata’s still form made his own blood run cold, and he couldn’t let his exhausted body and mind rest until he confirmed with his own eyes that she was alive and safe.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He kept to the shadows cast by lanterns, lit now that the evening sun had dipped below the mountains that rimmed the valley. In the twilight it left behind, a quiet settled like the one that comes after a terrible storm.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Now that the aftermath of Pain’s destruction had calmed and everyone else was too busy licking their own wounds to pay him any more attention, Naruto had gone straight to Sakura. Almost too afraid of the answer to ask where and how Hinata was, Sakura had smiled sympathetically and assured him she was healed and resting in tent 12C.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He only needed to see her, once, and then he could sleep.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Fatigue blurred the connection between his eyes and his brain, and he was several paces past tent 12C before he realized he’d almost missed it. Backing up with a shake of his head, he pushed aside the canvas flap and entered the tent.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Seconds ticked by before Naruto’s brain caught up with what he saw—Hinata, on the cot in front of him, her eyes closed, breathing soft and deep.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>And now that he had seen her, it wasn’t enough. He had to touch her, had to feel her warmth. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Then</span>
  </em>
  <span> he could sleep.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Dragging himself forward on wobbling legs to her cot, he collapsed to his knees. Rubble pinched his skin where it met the ground, but there was no room in his mind for discomfort, his attention solely focused on Hinata’s breath as it came and went. His hand drifted up, reaching out toward her cheek.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Naruto was shinobi, and had seen death before. This was not death. But with a fresh wave of horror, the memory of her broken body and the garish halo of blood pooling around her head unfolded in his mind’s eye, reminding him just how close death had come.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>His hand froze in midair.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>I won’t let you hurt him.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He shuddered. Helpless to save her, his hands pinned to the ground by Pain’s chakra rods, he remembered the hot rage that filled him, the white blank of his memory shortly after, and then…</span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Destroy everything.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>His belly, split open, his own blood pooling, and the demon fox’s manic grin. The disbelief that it all had come to this—the destruction of his home, his loved ones in danger. Powerless to save them.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He hadn’t struggled against Nine Tails, not even a little, overwhelmed by the hurt of loss.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Give me your soul… and I will rescue you from your pain.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>At the time, it had made sense. He’d actually listened to the foul creature penned within the tetragram seal in his belly, almost had given in. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>And how messed up was that? How could he possibly trust himself anymore?</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Naruto?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The murmur dragged him back to the present, back to him kneeling in front of a cot where the brave young woman who’d put her life on the line to save his own now raised herself on one elbow to look at him.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Opening his mouth to say her name, all that came out was a choked sob, the well of grief inside him overflowing again. The battle was over, the enemy overcome. The villagers were going to rebuild, and Hinata was okay. So how could he still ache so much? How could the sound of her voice tear him shreds from the inside out, over and over again?</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He fought for control, focusing on what he still needed to accomplish tonight, even after everything else he’d done that day.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Hinata. You can’t do that again. Ever.” His voice broke over the words, and he clutched at the fabric over his chest where it hurt the most.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Her brows knotted together, and Naruto watched as she waged her own inner war over the impulse to shrink back, but she was so much more than the wilting flower he’d met years ago. From the time she’d held her own against Neji at the chunin exams to the moment she’d jumped between him and Pain, he’d seen the spark of Konoha’s will of fire within her.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The devastation at seeing that fire extinguished in a heartbeat at the hands of an enemy had been too much to bear.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She tucked a lock of hair behind her ear. “I had to. You were in trouble.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“No,” Naruto bit out. “No matter how bad things look, you can’t do that again. I… when I thought…” He forced himself to choke through the echoes of despair still haunting him from her self-sacrifice. “I lost control. I wasn’t myself. And I… I could’ve hurt a lot of people.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You would never,” she said, quiet but emphatic.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I was gone!” Naruto shot back. “You don’t understand. I almost gave in to… to…”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You are never lost, Naruto.” She met him gaze for gaze, her eyes alight with the conviction of absolute truth. “I know you. And I know that you would never, <em>ever</em> hurt the people you care about.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>His throat burned with the tears about to fall. He cried too much, too often, but what could he do against the torrent of feeling that always built up to bursting inside him?</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You have to promise me you won’t,” he barked.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“No!” Her raised voice shocked him into silence. “I’ll do it again, and a hundred times over!” She gripped the edge of her cot, her knuckles white. “I will </span>
  <em>
    <span>never </span>
  </em>
  <span>abandon the people precious to me, even if it kills me. That’s my shinobi way!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He grabbed her by the scruff of her jacket.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>There was no plan. There never was with him.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>There still wasn’t one even as he pulled her roughly up to him and kissed her, </span>
  <em>
    <span>hard.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Complete surprise melted away quickly, and a small satisfied sound escaped her as her hands lifted to clutch his sleeves and she leaned into him.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Just as gruffly, he released her with a shaky exhale before leaping to his feet and whirling around to exit the tent.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He halted at the canvas flap, looking back at her over his shoulder, but unable to meet her eyes.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You meant it?” he huffed. “What you said back there? When you…” he trailed off.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>That’s why I’m not afraid to die defending you! Because I love you.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The words spoken earlier on the battlefield rang out in the silence between them, and Hinata’s cheeks pinked.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Yes,” she replied, with her whole heart behind it.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Naruto nodded, and stalked out without looking back again.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Suddenly restless, he prowled the perimeter of the decimated town under the cover of night, residual adrenaline the only thing keeping him clinging to wakefulness as he jumped from tree limb to tree limb.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>His messy apartment was destroyed. No more wrinkled bedsheets to crawl into, no more half-sour milk in the fridge. No Ichiraku, no supermarket, nothing familiar from his former life in the Village Hidden in the Leaves to sink into and forget about the burdens weighing heavy on his heart.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>When his legs began to give out underneath him, he quietly made his way back to tent 12C, rounding it and laying down in the dusty little alley behind it made by the rows of tents. There, just as the sky began to brighten, the sun cresting the peak of the mountain to the east, and uninterrupted by passersby, he finally fell asleep.</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Title taken from <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K9WagjNCN00">ALIVE, by Raiko (雷鼓)</a>.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. After the Fourth War</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>This right here? This is pure fluff. You know, bc Kishimoto-san is deathly allergic to his characters kissing. And them showing vulnerability. Oh, and exploring the consequences of the emotional trauma he has inflicted on like literally all of them.</p><p>I'm not salty. It's whatever. </p><p>Enjoy! (ﾉ◕ヮ◕)ﾉ*:･ﾟ✧</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Crisp morning air stung Hinata’s nose as she inhaled deeply, goosebumps rising on her bare arms. The courtyard, situated deep within the Hyuuga compound, was deserted at this hour of the day.</p><p>Moving through her forms would get her blood flowing, and warm her plenty against the cold.</p><p>Settling into stance, she harnessed her fleeting thoughts and gently set them aside, as she had been taught by her father many years ago, letting her mind ease into a tranquil quiet.</p><p><em> Horse. Tiger. Boar. Hare. Rat. </em> Her fingers flew through the hand seals, long burned into muscle memory. <em> Dog. Horse. Dog. Hare. Snake. </em></p><p>“Byakugan!” she whispered harshly, and the world inverted, brightness turning dark and the glimmerings of life-force in a thousand places the naked eye failed to see.</p><p>She immediately moved into offensive stance and sprinted through her warm-up sequence with perfect control and precision. Soon enough sweat began to bead at her temples, her limbs burning with strain.</p><p>Always an early riser, she had come to discover dawn as her favorite time of day to train, that suspended time between night and day when few things moved, the air was still, when yesterday was behind and only today ahead. She liked fresh beginnings.</p><p>And, there was no one else to bother her.</p><p>Taking a swig of water, Hinata paused only long enough to tie her hair back, but before she could move back into stance, she froze.</p><p>A bright keirakukei flared to her right, hiding behind one of the thick pillars lining the courtyard. Watching her.</p><p>Subtly shifting her weight, she leaped up, using the scaffolding to bring all of her momentum down on the intruder. A clever thief, perhaps, clever enough to bypass the nearly impenetrable protection of Byakugan-wielding sentries. A kidnapper, otherwise, someone here to steal her eyes or take her for ransom.</p><p>Either way, the presence shocked her. So soon after the war? Her father would be furious to know someone had infiltrated the compound, but the least she could do was apprehend them.</p><p>Hinata’s heel collided with the intruder’s chest and they hit the ground hard, her knees pinning their shoulders down and her chakra already gathering at her fingertips for an incapacitating hit when she recognized the chakra pattern.</p><p>“Naruto?!”</p><p>She released the byakugan to see more clearly the young man she had trapped underneath her, but before she could react, Naruto smiled and said, “Found ya!”</p><p>With a <em> boof, </em> he disappeared in a thin cloud of smoke.</p><p>A… shadow doppelganger?</p><p>“Hinata! Hey!”</p><p>She whirled around to see Naruto’s blond head peeking up over the crest of the pointed roof on the opposite side of the courtyard, and watched as he bounded down the shingles, then leapt to the ground. He jogged over to her, her heart fluttering at his wide smile.</p><p>It was the first time she’d seen him since the battlefield, wreathed in the power of sages past. Since he’d held her hand tightly and faced the enemy, bestowing her with his chakra, even just a trickle of it coursing into her and pounding along her veins. She remembered the shock of it, experiencing for herself the sheer power contained within the man at her side.</p><p>Tears blurred her vision as she rushed him, wrapping her arms around him and holding on tight. Because he was <em> there. </em> And <em> she </em> was there. And they were alive and together after <em> everything. </em></p><p>He stilled in her embrace, and Hinata immediately let go and backed away, blushing at her own behavior.</p><p>He rubbed the back of his head.</p><p>Then she noticed the pinned back right sleeve of his jacket, and the arm that should have been there but wasn’t. Her eyes flicked back and forth from the missing limb to his face, searching for an answer.</p><p>It was Naruto’s cheeks reddening now, flashing a nervous grin at her.</p><p>He cleared his throat. “Yeah, Granny Tsunade’s working on a fix for that.” He lifted his stump a little, looking down at it, dragging her attention back to it as well. “Something with the First Hokage’s cells or whatever. She says it’s coming, it’s just gonna take a while.” He gave a half-hearted chuckle. “So, no big deal.”</p><p>Hinata swallowed, more tears gathering, threatening to spill over. Naruto had given so much for this village. So much.</p><p>“You know, I’m pretty busy, doing important stuff with Granny and Kakashi-sensei and everything, but, uh… I was thinking maybe later we could… hang out.”</p><p>“Yes!” she blurted, louder and more vehemently than she meant to. </p><p>“Yeah!” He smiled at her again, unfazed, and Hinata’s heart just about melted onto the floor. “See you later then!”</p><p>As he darted away, Hinata shouted, “Wait, when—?!”</p><p>But he was already gone.</p><p> </p><p>***</p><p> </p><p>For about the hundredth time in the last hour, Hinata scrutinized her outfit in her bedroom mirror, checking her make-up, and agonizing over what Naruto might like best—<em> too showy? Not showy enough?— </em>when a tap at her window stole her attention from her reflection.</p><p>One of the compound guards, a friendly younger kunoichi from the cadet branch, opened the window and squatted on the sill.</p><p>“You have a… feisty visitor waiting for you at the west gate.” The guard couldn’t hide her smile.</p><p>Hinata blushed furiously. “I’m expecting him. I’ll be right there.”</p><p>Her friend winked. “Better hurry. We might be seeing nine glowing red tails again sooner after the war than we thought!” With that she jumped away, and Hinata took the opportunity to dash through the open window and make a beeline for the west gate.</p><p>Leave it to Naruto to get up in arms with the Hyuuga clan sentries. Most guards would have gone straight to her father for such an interference, and she made a mental note to thank her friend for coming to her first.</p><p>Moments later, as she soared over the rooftops in the compound toward the gate, Naruto’s voice caught her ear.</p><p>“Listen here, buddy, just go tell her I’m waiting for her already!”</p><p>Before the situation could escalate, Hinata lithely landed on the ground next to him, only a little out of breath and regretting that in her rush to get there, her hair was probably all wind-blown and tangled.</p><p>“Sorry, I’m here!”</p><p>The guard that had planted himself in front of Naruto with crossed arms immediately stood down, bowing, then vanishing into the shadows without a another word, leaving Hinata and Naruto alone.</p><p>Naruto turned to her after one last pout in the direction of the sentry, and his jaw dropped, eyes wide. “Hinata! You…! You look amazing!”</p><p>Her cheeks heated as her looked her over appreciatively, even as she laughed to herself over his predictable lack of subtlety.</p><p>“Now that you’re here…” He nervously rubbed the back of his head with his remaining hand. “Um… gotta tell ya, I’ve never really done this before with a real girl.” Hinata must have given him a funny look, because he quickly amended, “Sakura doesn’t count! Or Granny…”</p><p>His lopsided smile sent a hundred butterflies loose in her belly, and she took the moment to secretly enjoy that he was nervous, because that meant she wasn’t the only one.</p><p>“Maybe we could get something to eat?” she suggested.</p><p>“Yeah! Have you ever tried Ichiraku?” She shook her head. “What? We gotta go there, for sure!”</p><p>The walk to the ramen bar wasn’t long, and Hinata was more than content to match his step and listen to him happily jabber about the food in store for them. When they arrived, the stand was crowded and warm with other bodies pressing close, giving her the perfect excuse to scooch her stool closer to him while they ate.</p><p>“What do you think?” he asked around a mouthful of noodles. He’d tucked in the second the bowl hit the wooden bar, and if Hinata hadn’t already been acquainted with his gusto, she would’ve said he ate like he hadn’t seen a proper meal in weeks.</p><p>“It’s delicious,” she assured him, trying to ignore the little shadow of anxiety brushing up against her, as it always did when anyone expected conversation.</p><p>“Ramen’s my favorite food,” he said while slurping down another bite, as if she didn’t already know. More serious, he faced her in his chair. “What’s your favorite food?”</p><p>The gravity lacing the otherwise causal question gave her pause, and she dropped her eyes. She knew so much about him already, so she could appreciate the earnest effort to get to know her better. She just disliked sitting in the spotlight.</p><p>“I… I like…” She searched frantically for a food, anything edible to fill the gap of conversation widening between them.</p><p>Even now, after so much hard work to overcome it, she stumbled over the words in her mouth like they were marbles. The irrational fear that he wouldn’t understand her blossomed into panic, and the notion that he was still waiting for an answer left her staring up at herself from a well of self-doubt and humiliation, hating her inability to string together a proper sentence.</p><p>And now, it was so much worse because it was with Naruto. On their first date.</p><p>“Ah… red bean… m-mochi.”</p><p>Summoning what courage she could, she braved a glance back up at him after her disaster of a reply.</p><p>Instead of confusion or judgment, he smiled softly at her. “I really missed your voice,” he confessed, sheepish. “There were times I thought I’d never…” He trailed off, but then continued, more cheerfully. “I’m so happy we’re doing this!”</p><p>Hinata could have kissed him right then, in front of everyone. Wanted nothing more than to take his adorable, handsome face in her hands and kiss him until he was within an inch of his life for being the best person she’d ever met.</p><p>But… maybe she would wait until they were somewhere more private.</p><p>Evening had fallen on the village while they ate, blanketing the streets with shadows and leaving a soft twilight to guide them back to the Hyuuga estate on the outskirts of town.</p><p>Naruto kept strangely quiet, subdued, while Hinata struggled with whether or not she should reach for his hand, the chance ultimately taken away from her when he shoved his left hand into his pants pocket.</p><p>She wrestled the instinct to assume she’d done something wrong, instead trying to enjoy that they could walk side by side in the gathering darkness. Even so, she couldn’t help wanting… more.</p><p>The gates of the estate finally loomed before them, and Naruto halted, the silence between them sliding into awkwardness. Hinata circled to face him, concerned. He hadn’t touched her once that night, and she longed for it. But as he hovered close, rocking from one foot to the other distractedly, Hinata considered—maybe Naruto didn’t know where to start.</p><p>From the one shocking, abrupt kiss so long ago to now, the facts remained facts—maybe he had never been on a true date before, but neither had <em> she— </em>and she did know where she wanted to start.</p><p>Tonight was worth far more than shrinking back into the timid thirteen year old she used to be, and Hinata knew in her bones she’d long outgrown that.</p><p>She’d shouted it on battlefields, with ash and blood staining her skin. She’d whispered it to the four walls of her bedroom, to the blue sky outside her window with a longing that left her breathless. She’d carved the words on her heart, and survived death when it stared at her with its empty eyes, all to reach this moment when she could make the choice: retreat into self-doubt, or step forward into the future she’d prayed for.</p><p>She wanted to be by his side, always.</p><p>Closing the distance, Hinata reached up and touched his cheek, brushing it with the pads of her fingers before placing her palm against the warmth of his skin. His eyes closed and he leaned into the touch. Standing on her tiptoes, she bridged the remaining space and kissed him, featherlight and lingering only for a breath in his space.</p><p>His absolute stillness worried her, so different from the desperation she’d tasted last time, when he’d grabbed her by the collar and planted his lips on hers.</p><p>Moving back far enough to see his face, the uncertainty she saw there told her what she already guessed—he had no idea what to do.</p><p>The Maverick Ninja, Sage Inherent, and legendary hero of the Great Fourth War, afraid of a kiss? Unthinkable.</p><p>Maybe her hands were shaking, and maybe it would require every last ounce of audacity she’d ever been able to summon in her life, but she would take the lead if that’s what he needed.</p><p>So she kissed him again, reaching up to circle his neck with her arms, pressing their bodies close, her heart stammering out in staccato against her ribs.</p><p>Because this was <em> Naruto. </em> His goofy grin and big heart had taken root in her since she’d been small. She’d wanted this for so long, had cried herself to sleep too many times to count for fear that he would never notice her, in fear of his safety, or that someday his great big heart might be lost to someone who deserved it more than she did.</p><p>She curled her fingers into his hair and sighed into him with a burst of affection, at once exhilarated and mortified. If only he would move, kiss her back, do anything to tell her she wasn't the biggest fool alive.</p><p>Slowly, his hand moved to her back, the warmth of it spanning between her shoulder blades through her thin dress, and then he was moving his lips against hers, setting the butterflies loose once more in her belly, her heart flipping in her chest because he wanted this, too. As he pulled her in tighter to him, his body heat spread over her, every inch of her loving it, loving him, and wanting more. Because this was <em> Naruto. </em></p><p>He broke away first, only to pull her roughly into a strong, one-armed hug, his hand moving to cradle the back of her head and tangle in her dark hair while he buried his face in the crook of her neck. The tight grip felt like a plea for her to stay, to be near and to never let go, the depth of emotion in the embrace even stronger than in the kiss.</p><p>He had to know, he just <em> had </em> to, how much she cared for him.</p><p>Speaking into his shoulder, against the fabric of his jacket, she started, “Naruto, I—”</p><p>A broken sob burst out of him and he held her even tighter, as though afraid if he were to let go, she might disappear. As though she was the anchor that moored him while he struggled against whatever tide now threatened to overtake him.</p><p>Hinata knew this night was a gift. To hold on to someone precious to you after so much pain and heartbreak, after life in its often detached cruelty dealt you what little it decided was yours. After fighting to the last of your strength to keep even that.</p><p>“Don’t go,” he said raggedly into her neck, finally releasing her. “I don’t want you to go yet.” He swiped at the tears and snot on his face with his sleeve, and her heart broke for him as he inhaled shakily, unable to look her in the eye.</p><p>Carefully, she took his hand in hers and squeezed. “Give me ten minutes.”</p><p>Hinata supposed that he expected resistance from her, maybe a demure refusal. But not tonight. <em> Hell </em> no.</p><p>Once again in her bedroom, she stuffed an overnight satchel faster than she’d ever done in her life, certain she would be the talk of the compound in the morning once the guards informed her father of her comings and goings, but she couldn’t find it in herself to care. Her heart was alight with happiness, and even as she made her way back to the gates, anticipation thrummed through her from head to toe.</p><p>When she landed next to Naruto with her belongings in tow and wearing more sensible shoes, he threw her his biggest smile, grabbed her hand, and leapt with her up to travel along the rooftops of village.</p><p>On a quiet street not far from downtown, he led her to the third floor balcony of his apartment building, dropping her hand to unlock his front door and welcome her inside with the flip of a light switch.</p><p>From the state of the space, Hinata quickly concluded as she maneuvered her way into the untidy studio apartment that he’d had no plans whatsoever to bring her home when the date had started. This lack of planning was made all the more clear in his demeanor, cheerfully pushing through bashfulness by giving her a short tour.</p><p>It struck her again how even after he'd fought longer and harder than anyone else imagined to prove himself to the shinobi world, he could still be unsure around her. Naruto had given his all to be able to stand here today, surpassing even the greatest of shinobi that had come before. And he was nervous.</p><p>It was sweet, but unacceptable. It was only her, after all.</p><p>She excused herself to the bathroom, changing into bedclothes and brushing her teeth so fast it must have set a record, and then emerged to find him sitting on the edge of his unmade bed in his own set of pajamas. Elbows resting on his knees and lost in thought, he brightened when she stepped into the room.</p><p>She swore she would disintegrate into a puddle on the floor. He was so cute.</p><p>“So, uh…”</p><p>Without waiting for him to finish his sentence, she climbed onto the bed and burrowed into the pile of messy sheets and blankets, grabbing him and pulling him down next to her under the covers.</p><p>It smelled like him, and she couldn’t get enough of it.</p><p>Hinata didn’t have a clue where the night would take them. She had prepared herself for many possibilities, but the one situation she hadn’t prepared for was the one that presented itself to her:</p><p>Naruto slid his hand into hers, nestled into the mattress, and promptly fell fast asleep.</p><p>She smiled, and tried not to cry for him as her heart ached to think that maybe, he hadn’t wanted her here to progress their relationship, in <em>that</em> sense. What he’d wanted, practically begged from her, was to not have to go home alone when someone he cared about, who cared <em> back, </em> could be there with him. Maybe he’d had enough nights of sleeping alone, without loved ones nearby.</p><p>To him, having her here was enough.</p><p>It occurred to her that nothing in the entire world would be better than if she got to spend every night like this beside him, holding each other and thanking the stars they still had someone to hold onto.</p><p> </p><p>***</p><p> </p><p>It took Naruto less than the space of a second to rocket from sleep into wakefulness.</p><p>Dawn’s pale light illuminated his bed, as well as the absence of Hinata and her belongings. Scrambling to the window, he threw it open, craning his head out to look up and down the street, spotting her only a block away.</p><p>“HINATA! WAIT!”</p><p>He could see her startle and freeze from where he stood, and he launched himself through the window and down the gently sloping roof to skid along the ground, running to catch up with her.</p><p>Wincing, he reflected, too late, that he’d maybe been too loud for this early in the morning, but the panic rising up into his throat at the thought of her gone, unhappy, even <em> disappointed, </em> had urged him to it. He couldn’t just let her go after… after everything.</p><p>As he got closer, he noticed she’d taken the time to dress, while he was still in his jammies, the cold air cutting through the thin fabric, but his entire focus recentered on what to say to her. It had to be right.</p><p>“Good morning,” she murmured, dipping her head.</p><p>“Let’s eat together again tonight,” he blurted.</p><p>To his relief, she beamed. “Okay.”</p><p>Catching the wave of success and riding it, he pressed, “And tomorrow night, too.”</p><p>Hinata laughed, and Naruto’s joy bubbled over, catching her hand and swinging it playfully between them like a kid.</p><p>“And then the night after that!” he exclaimed.</p><p>Her giggles warmed him up from the inside out, and thought for the first time about a life of making Hinata happy like that.</p><p>He wanted to be Hokage, down to his very marrow, so he could prove himself to a world that thought he’d never be worthy of the title. But more than that, in the secret places of his heart, he ached for the loving touch of a person who knew him, who believed in him, and would want him even if he never could claim it.</p><p>Catching her gaze, he added more seriously, “And every night after that. For… forever.” Her light eyes widened, and he cleared his throat. “Um. If you want.”</p><p>Breathlessly, her cheeks pinking so prettily, she said, “I do.”</p><p>Naruto swallowed, wrestling down the happiness filling him up to overflowing and bringing tears with it. Moving his hand to clasp her wrist, he guided her hand back to the cheek it had caressed the night before.</p><p>No one, <em> no one </em> had touched him that way before. Gently, with patience, like he was fragile. And he was. Somehow, she knew.</p><p>He kissed her palm, one that could spell death if she chose, then stepped in closer. Leaned in, breathless, in the space where she drew breath, and captured her lips with his.</p><p>The world fell away.</p><p>Nothing existed but Naruto and Hinata, and the way he cared for her. She was there by his side.</p><p>And all the rest?</p><p>They would face it together. Always.</p><p> </p><p>どんな力もどのうたよりも</p><p>
  <em>Because your heart shines more strongly</em>
</p><p>君の心は光っているから</p><p>
  <em>Than any power and any song</em>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Lyric from <a href="https://naruto.fandom.com/wiki/Scenario">Scenario</a>, by Saboten.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
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